File photo showing a farmer moving through a paddy field. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Feb 4): The paddy production in Sarawak has been decreasing at an average rate of 17 per cent from 2019 to 2021, according to a report by Khazanah Research Institute.
It pointed out that the state’s paddy production accounts for 11 per cent, or 148,903 metric tonnes (MT), of Malaysia’s total paddy production of 1,677,475 MT in 2021.
The report titled ‘The Paddy and Rice Industry of Sabah and Sarawak’ said that from 2010 to 2018, Sarawak showcased an increasing trend in paddy production with an average production of 243,000 MT per year whereby the average increase was recorded at three per cent annually.
“However, in 2019, paddy production in Sarawak decreased by 19 per cent compared to 2018,” it said.
The report said on the other hand, Sabah’s trend of paddy production has been fluctuating for the past 11 years but production has been kept at an average of 123,000 MT per year.
In 2021, Sabah produced 112,284 MT of paddy. In the same year, Malaysia produced a total of 1,677,475 MT whereby 1,517,394 MT was produced in Peninsula and the remaining 160,081 MT in East Malaysia.
The IADA Kota Belud and IADA Batang Lupar produced 15,816 MT and 1,932 MT respectively, totalling 17,748 MT.
The report also said while there are many local varieties of paddy in Sarawak, the exact number is not known.
Some well-known Geographical Indicators (GI) registered varieties in Sarawak include Bario (in the Bario Highlands), Biris (in Simunjan) and Bajong (in Lubok Nibong).
The report also concluded that early attempts at genetic studies of local paddy varieties in Sabah and Sarawak suggest this region is home to a rich collection of local paddy varieties with very different characteristics.